The European Parliament is gearing up for confirmation hearings for Commissioners-designate from 4-12 November to evaluate their strategies for EU climate, energy, and industrial policies in the coming five years. These hearings are crucial for clarifying the EU's stance on critical issues like carbon capture, clean hydrogen, and methane mitigation. Experts from the Clean Air Task Force (CATF) will offer commentary to dissect the implications of these hearings on EU climate and competitiveness goals. One of the key aspects to watch will be the alignment of climate, industrial, and economic policies to achieve a prosperous, decarbonised future. President von der Leyen's commitment to 'technology neutrality' sets the stage for varied decarbonisation pathways across Member States and sectors, emphasizing the need for technologies like clean hydrogen and carbon capture and storage. Additionally, the focus will be on developing innovative technologies such as fusion energy and superhot rock geothermal systems to aid in full decarbonisation by 2050. The need to address methane emissions from all sources will also be highlighted, especially with a shift towards higher 2040 climate targets. Specific hearings will delve into clean firm energy sources, clean hydrogen deployment, EU climate targets for 2040, carbon capture and storage, competition and state aid, and the development of the European Competitiveness Fund. The discussions aim to shape the future direction of EU policies to balance competitiveness and sustainability effectively. CATF experts are optimistic about the potential policies that could support industrial decarbonisation and the deployment of technologies like small modular reactors. They stress the importance of balancing competitiveness and sustainability to achieve the Clean Industrial Deal effectively. Furthermore, the emphasis on methane emissions reduction and the strategic deployment of innovative technologies like small modular reactors are key areas of interest for a sustainable energy future in the EU.